Page 120 of Always a Bridesmaid
Ford’s heart expanded, flooding with images of the woman he hankered to see. He cleared his throat and nodded. “She’ll be there.”
Meanwhile, his house would be empty, save dogs who’d be happier to see Violet.
I’m gonna fix it. There’s gotta be a way to fix it.
Fingers crossed he wasn’t too late.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Violet’s feet dragged as she followed Lexi out of the dressing area, Addie right on their heels.
While she could only imagine how much Tucker and Addie were waiting for this moment, it was the one Violet had dreaded since agreeing to fill in as bridesmaid.
But the day wasn’t about her, and as she glanced over her shoulder, the nerves that’d been using her stomach as a trampoline settled.
Addie reached up as if to twist the end of her ponytail around her finger before seeming to remember her hair had been weaved into a romantic updo. Her makeup was on the natural side, and her white gown fit her impeccably. She swiveled the toe of her bright yellow Converse sneaker as she fiddled with the engagement ring on her finger.
“You look beautiful,” Violet said, and tears rose, threatening to test the bounds of her waterproof mascara.
This was how she’d get through the day—by focusing on Addie’s happily ever after.
Lexi pivoted and grasped Addie’s hand. She grabbed one of Violet’s as well. “In all the madness, I’m not sure I told you two how much I’ve enjoyed planning this wedding. I can get a smidge uptight when it comes to being prepared—”
“No,” Addie teased, and the three of them giggled.
“I hide it well, I know,” Lexi said, eliciting more laughter. “But you two made it fun.”
Addie’s eyebrows arched. “Aversion to everything girly and all?”
“Yes. Mostly because Violet had my back with that.” Lexi gave Violet’s hand an affectionate squeeze.
Now Violet trulywasgoing to cry. She dabbed a fingertip to the corners of her eyes, and Lexi waved a hand in front of her face as she demanded they cry on the inside.
While Violet knew it was time for her to return to her real life, in her heartbreak, she’d underestimated how much these women had come to mean to her. They’d instantly accepted her and made her feel welcome in a town she used to view as an adversary.
Then there was her reconciliation with Dad and Cheryl—andgah, Maisy and Isla—and if she thought about that now, no amount of blinking would prevent her from turning into a sobbing mess.
Footsteps broke through, a stride Violet somehow recognized, even as she told herself that was silly. It was simply because she couldn’t help thinking of Ford.
Not to mention it was time for him to join the bridal party.
He cleared his throat, and Violet told herself to think of him as the sun and avoid looking directly at him.
While her brain was on board, her eyes went rogue.
For all of Ford’s jokes about wearing a bridesmaid dress, the way he rocked a yellow bow tie, daisy boutonniere, and golden suspenders was unfair. His gray slacks hugged thighs she absolutely wasn’t going to think about. His jaw-length hair had been cut to right above his ears and was lightly gelled, and misery pumped in and out of Violet’s heart until her entire body ached with it.
Seeing him was harder than she imagined it’d be—and she’d imagined it plenty.
More than that, she’d hoped she’d feel differently now. But the mangled heart thudding away in her chest whispered that somehow, she still loved him.
As she sorted through the tornado of emotions, she snatched the furl of anger and clung on to it.
“Violet,” he said, and the blood in her body turned icy and sharp.
Lexi stepped forward and hissed at him, the words inaudible but the warning clear.
Will and Easton rounded the corner, dressed identically to Ford.
